If you put up a sign (as I attached in an earlier post in this thread) then they are prohibited by law from snooping around. Add in a few "building sites are dangerous - keep out" signs and that should dissuade all but the most hardened snoopers.

They can always issue you with a completion notice, that generally (at least in England) gives you three months grace, but you can challenge their completion date by showing that the requirements for a rateable hereditament have not been met (again as discussed earlier).

If you are actually living on the site then things do get to be tricky, and you may well find that you have to pay Council Tax. Personally I don't have any issue with this at all, it seems right and proper to pay the tax if you're living on the site. My issue is with them trying to make you pay it when you're still living somewhere else and have yet to finish the new build, so are not in receipt of council provided services at the new build and are paying for the services you do receive at your old house.

My beef is that although I moved out of my house in Bristol some 12 months ago and moved into another Bristol poverty (where I pay council tax) because I am unable to sell the first I am still expected to pay council tax on both properties.

If being connected to the sewage system is a trigger, then how are you to deal with worker welfare. You have to provide facilities on site. OK many builders have portaloos, I have seen some however who connect these direct to an inspection chamber or exposed foul drain. So does this mean the development pays council tax or simply owes money to the local water authority for the use of the sewers.

Just reading back through this. The case law link provided earlier and referred to in Jeremy's post #61

"The authorities, in our judgment, establish the following. A building is only a hereditament if it is ready for occupation, and whether it is ready for occupation is to be assessed in the light of the purpose for which it is designed to be occupied.

The judge substitutes the term " ready for occupation" to " capable of occupation " in his summing up. This might cast a different light on some arguments.

My beef is that although I moved out of my house in Bristol some 12 months ago and moved into another Bristol poverty (where I pay council tax) because I am unable to sell the first I am still expected to pay council tax on both properties.

Take comfort from the fact that if you were in Scotland, you would be paying double council tax on the empty one, and full council tax on the one you are living in.......

My beef is that although I moved out of my house in Bristol some 12 months ago and moved into another Bristol poverty (where I pay council tax) because I am unable to sell the first I am still expected to pay council tax on both properties.